By Haley Bianco

Melissa Kelly covering the Eagles
Photo courtesy of Melissa Kelly

A KU alumnus, Melissa Kelly, says it was bittersweet to graduate in May 2014. “Kutztown was my home for four years, but I felt prepared to graduate and ready for the real world,” said Kelly.

   While at KU, Kelly was involved in various clubs that pertained to her electronic media major, such as KU-TV’s news program, Newsbreak, the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) and KU-TV’s sports show, Between the Lines. She held executive board positions such as president for Newsbreak and secretary for NBS. During her final semester, she interned for 3601 Creative Group at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.   At this internship she put her skills to work as she helped in all aspects of video production for the Philadelphia Flyers and 76’ers. As a big Philly fan, she loved the experience.

   Even with her active resume, she didn’t have a job lined up after graduation. “I applied to so many different places but didn’t hear from many,” said Kelly. “It was very discouraging because most places were looking for people with three to five years of experience, and right out of college, I didn’t appeal to many places.”

   In June, she began to freelance in Washington, D.C. as a production assistant for NBC’s hit show, The Voice. She worked there during the audition process. As a production assistant she was paired up with a casting producer to help with the flow of auditions. “I would get a group of ten performers and direct them into a room with the casting producer,” said Kelly. “The casting producer and I sat next to each other at a table in the front of the room and one by one they would sing.”

   Kelly says she hopes to freelance for The Voice again in the future, but currently she is tied up with the Eagles. In July, a representative from the Eagles got in touch with Kelly on LinkedIn. After completing the interview process, she was given a seasonal position.

   She currently works between 60 and 70 hours a week. Every day the Eagles have practice she prepares a script for her on camera segment “Player in Focus.” In addition to writing and being talent, she also edits her piece in Adobe Premiere. The segment airs everyday on the Eagles’ website. She is also in charge of graphics for daily press conferences, pre-game, halftime and post game shows.

   Her position working for the Eagle’s has allowed her to dabble in all aspects of production, even shooting footage for her segments. “Words cannot describe how nervous I was when I did my first segment. I was so scared, but it was also such a rush,” said Kelly.

   She says that her KU major, electronic media, provided her with the knowledge to operate every piece of equipment at her place of employment. “I truly didn’t realize how much I learned at KU until I started working for the Eagles,” said Kelly. “Every task they have given me, I’ve been able to do.”

   When asked what advice she has for current KU students, she said to get involved, build your resume, make a LinkedIn account and to grow from experiences outside of the classroom.

   In the future, Kelly hopes to continue advancing in the world of Philadelphia sports. “Philadelphia sports are my passion and television production is my passion… being able to combine them would make an awesome future,” she said.

   For now, you can catch Kelly on the Eagles’ website, philadelphiaeagles.com.